A syndicate is charging M40 000 to facilitate illegal entry of foreigners into Lesotho, thepost can reveal.
\nThe syndicate\u2019s main customers are Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who want to stay in Lesotho or use it as a corridor into South Africa.
\nThe kingpins are a Bangladeshi based in Ha Nelese and an Indian operating from Teya-Teyaneng.<\/p>\n
The recipient of the trafficked people is a Pakistani based in South Africa.
\nThe three, whose names have been withheld for ethical reasons, are said to be working with some Home Affairs officials who also take a cut of the fee.
\nMost of those trafficked are sneaked into South Africa where they make false claims for asylum or bribe their way to get documents to legitimise their stay.<\/p>\n
Those who stay in Lesotho are allegedly helped by Home Affairs officials to get residence permits within days of arrival.
\nThe allegations are made by Rana Qamar, a Pakistani who is alleged to be at the centre of the human trafficking scandal that has rocked the government.<\/p>\n
Qamar spoke to thepost from Pakistani this week as his name has been strewn all over the media, government memos and court documents in connection with what appears to be rampant human trafficking.
\nWhen the story broke Qamar was portrayed as the mastermind behind the human trafficking operation that has since dragged in some senior politicians.<\/p>\n
But Qamar says his hands are clean and those accusing him are trying to protect the \u201creal human traffickers who are charging M40 000 to traffic people into Lesotho\u201d.
\nMapeete Jonathan, the Immigration Manager at the Moshoeshoe 1 International Airport, has alleged that Qamar is behind the government\u2019s plan to transfer her because she blocked his human trafficking operations.
\nJonathan, who is fighting the transfer, has also alleged that Qamar is connected to some senior Democratic Congress (DC) leaders whom she says could be behind attempts to transfer her.<\/p>\n
Mantsebo Matsoanakaba, the Director of Immigration, has also submitted an affidavit making the same allegations against Qamar and DC officials.
\nMantsebo says some DC officials and Qamar once tried to pressure her to allow some Pakistanis into the country.
\nMpho Tsiame, the senior immigration officer, tells the same story in her affidavit supporting Jonathan\u2019s allegations.<\/p>\n
But Qamar, who is married to a Mosotho and has two children, told thepost this week that these allegations are false and \u201can attempt to destroy me\u201d.
\nHe says he is not running away from Lesotho but is visiting his family and will be back in January.
\n\u201cThose people accusing me of human trafficking know the truth. They are the ones who know the real traffickers in Lesotho,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey hate me because I know a lot of secrets happening at Home Affairs.\u201d
\n\u201cThey are aware that I know some of them are working with one Pakistani in South Africa to traffic people from Pakistani.\u201d Qamar says some officials are also working with an Indian based in Teye-teyaneng to illegally bring people into the country.
\nHe alleges there is also a Bangladeshi based in Ha Nelese who is \u201calso bringing lots of people from Bangladesh\u201d. \u201cThey just want to destroy my name, but the real culprits are there. Some of them are working with those traffickers,\u201d Qamar says.
\nAsked how he knows about the syndicate Qamar said it is because \u201cI know a lot of foreigners who have come into the country that way\u201d.
\n\u201cThey come to Lesotho and after three days they all have residence papers, but we know that it takes months to get them.\u201d
\nQamar says most of the corruption is happening at the government\u2019s One-Stop-Shop that processes company registrations, work permits and well as residence permits for foreigners investing in the manufacturing sector.<\/p>\n
One-Stop-Shop was designed to facilitate swift registration and documentation for foreigners in the manufacturing sector.
\nThere are desks for company registration, licensing, work permits and residence permits. But Qamar says that system has been corrupted by the human trafficking syndicate that registers dubious manufacturing companies as cover to illegally bring people into Lesotho under the guise that they are coming to work.<\/p>\n
He alleges that there is a plastic manufacturing company that has been used to bring dozens of foreigners but has never operated.
\n\u201cIt is because I know these things that they are now coming against me. I was told that there is a lady who wants to kill me because I know about her secrets.\u201d
\nHe says he reported to the police \u201cbut they are now investigating me instead of the issues I was complaining about\u201d.
\nA United States report on human trafficking in Lesotho appears to have forced the government into action.<\/p>\n
Released a few months ago, the report said Lesotho was not doing enough to curb human trafficking. It described Lesotho\u2019s laws and enforcement systems on human trafficking as weak.
\nThe Lesotho government now appears to be scrambling into action. It says its transfer of immigration officials from the airport is part of the efforts to stop the rot. It is also investigating several cases.<\/p>\n
This week the government deported three Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who arrived at the airport.
\nHome Affairs Ministers Motlalentoa Letsosa later Tweeted the news of the deportations, saying \u201cthe rot is so deep!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A syndicate is charging M40 000 to facilitate illegal entry of foreigners into Lesotho, thepost can reveal. The syndicate\u2019s main customers are Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who want to stay in Lesotho or use it as a corridor into South Africa. The kingpins are a Bangladeshi based in Ha Nelese and an Indian operating from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":2463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,7,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english"],"yoast_head":"\n